Medical Titanium Alloy: "Strength Responsibility" in the Medical Field
In the vast world of biomedical materials, titanium alloy stands out with its excellent performance and has become a "star material" that has attracted much attention in the medical field. Biomedical materials aim to interact with biological systems for diagnosis, treatment, repair or replacement of body tissues and organs to enhance their functions, covering medical metal materials, medical polymer materials, medical ceramic materials and other categories, of which medical metal materials account for the proportion is quite high, especially in orthopedics and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular products, and titanium alloys are the best among them.
Significant Advantages of Medical Titanium Alloys
The reason why titanium alloys can shine in the medical field is due to their outstanding characteristics in many aspects.
Bio-compatibility is a treasure of titanium alloys. It has the smallest biological reaction with the human body, is non-toxic and non-magnetic, and as a human implant, it will not have toxic and side effects on the human body. It can coexist harmoniously with the tissues and organs of the human body and provide safety guarantees for the rehabilitation of the body.
Mechanical properties are equally excellent. Titanium alloy has the characteristics of high strength and low elastic modulus, which can not only meet the mechanical requirements of implants, but also be similar to the elastic modulus of human natural bone. This feature can effectively shield the stress effect, which is more conducive to the growth and healing of human bones, allowing patients to recover faster and better.
Corrosion resistance should not be underestimated. Titanium alloy is a bio-inert material, which has good corrosion resistance under human physiology, will not cause pollution to human physiology, and ensures the stable existence of implants in the body.
In addition, the light weight of titanium alloy is also very prominent. Generally, the density of titanium alloy is only 57% of that of stainless steel. After implantation into the human body, it can greatly reduce the load on the human body and make patients move more easily.
History of Medical Titanium Alloys
The application of medical titanium alloys in the medical field is not achieved overnight, but has gone through a long process. Metallic materials, as biomedical functional materials, are an important branch of material science. They have been used in human implants for more than 400 years. Biomedical titanium alloys have mainly gone through three stages.
From 1950 to 1980, it was the era of pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy. Pure titanium has been applied in the field of bio-medicine for the first time, confirming its good bio-compatibility. Ti6Al4V is also widely used in surgical repair or replacement materials, laying the foundation for medical undertakings.
From 1980 to 1990, with the deepening of research, people found that V and Al are elements with toxic side effects to organisms. Therefore, researchers produced the second-generation improved new medical titanium alloy with Nb and Fe instead of V, which further improved the safety and applicability of the material.
Since 1990, biomedical titanium alloys have ushered in a new stage. In the early 1990s, the first β-titanium alloy Ti13Nb13Zr with better bio-compatibility and lower elastic modulus was released, which opened a new era of biomedical β-titanium alloys with excellent properties and provided patients with more High-quality options.
Wide Application of Titanium and Titanium Alloys in Medical Field
In recent years, titanium and its alloys are changing rapidly in the field of medicine, with plastic surgery, dentistry and various medical instruments as the center, and the scope of application is constantly expanding.
Titanium alloys play an important role in human orthopedics. Because its elastic modulus is closer to human bones than stainless steel, titanium alloy elbow joints, ankle joints, etc. are widely used in human orthopedic surgery. Every year, about 100 million patients in the world receive replacement treatment for arm joint and knee joint inflammation. Titanium knee plates are much lighter than stainless steel knee plates, and the corrosion problem has been effectively improved. At present, titanium prosthetics are gradually replacing steel prosthetics, providing patients with Bring a better experience.
The dental field is also a "place" for titanium alloys. Since titanium alloys were implanted into the human body, metallic materials for dental implants have undergone tremendous changes. Titanium has good affinity with human skeletal epithelial tissue, its mechanical properties are comparable to other dental alloys, and its density is small, making dentures feel comfortable. In addition, titanium dentures can also meet aesthetic requirements through surface treatment, making them the choice for dental implants. In facial treatment, when the human facial tissue is severely damaged, local tissue repair is required.
With its good bio-compatibility and required strength, titanium alloys have become materials for human facial tissue repair. Pure titanium mesh has been used as a bone bracket in bone reconstruction surgery to reshape the beautiful appearance of patients.
The production of surgical instruments is also inseparable from titanium alloys. Titanium medical devices have good corrosion resistance, and the surface will not be affected after repeated cleaning and disinfection; Non-magnetic, can eliminate the threat to small, implantable devices; Light weight, after replacing stainless steel, the weight is greatly reduced, so that the doctor's operation is more flexible, and the degree of fatigue of the doctor is improved.
At present, titanium alloy has been used to make scalpel blades, hemostatic forceps, scissors, electric bone drills, forceps and other surgical instruments.
The advantages of medical titanium and titanium alloy materials have been widely recognized by the medical community, and are also favored by more and more patients. Considering factors such as war, sports trauma, and improvement of living standards, titanium and titanium alloys, as the preferred materials for human implants, have a very broad growth space, and will surely become a new economic growth point in titanium applications and contribute to human health. make greater contributions.
